Friday, May 22, 2009

The wrong expression?

This morning I received an email that ended with, "Have a wonderful week-end."

Is this the proper expression for Memorial Day week-end? What is this week-end all about? A work holiday on Monday? Hot dogs and burgers on the grill? Picnics? Setting up the pool?

Just what is Memorial Day? Just another holiday lost to the ages because no one is telling us, or reminding us, what this holiday, this Memorial Day, is for?

I shall always remember something happened in my life 40+ years ago and the man who taught me a valuable lesson.

I was an insurance salesman and had taken a client on the Friday before Memorial Day to a doctor for a physical examination for his new policy. After the examination, as my client and I were walking out of the doctor's office, I said to the doctor, "Have a nice week-end."

He looked at me, somewhat startled, and said only, "Good bye." But his expression caused me to think about what I had just said to him, and suddenly I "got" it.

This holiday, now always a three-day week-end rather than just being celebrated on the day of May 30th, is a time to pause and reflect on what it really means. Just this past week I received an email with photographs of many U.S. cemeteries in Europe and this list:

"In alphabetical order. Just Europe .

"1. The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne , France . A total of 2289 of our military dead.2. The American Cemetery at Ardennes , Belgium . A total of 5329 of our dead.3. The American Cemetery at Brittany, France . A total of 4410 of our military dead.4. Brookwood , England American Cemetery. A total of 468 of our dead.5. Cambridge , England . 3812 of our military dead.6. Epinal , France American Cemetery. A total of 5525 of our Military dead.7. Flanders Field , Belgium . A total of 368 of our military.8. Florence , Italy . A total of 4402 of our military dead.9. Henri-Chapelle , Belgium . A total of 7992 of our military dead.10. Lorraine , France . A total of 10,489 of our military dead.11. Luxembourg , Luxembourg . A total of 5076 of our military dead.12. Meuse-Argonne. A total of 14246 of our military dead.13. Netherlands , Netherlands . A total of 8301 of our military dead.14. Normandy , France . A total of 9387 of our military dead.15. Oise-Aisne , France . A total of 6012 of our military dead.16. Rhone , France . A total of 861 of our military dead.17. Sicily , Italy . A total of 7861 of our military dead.18. Somme , France . A total of 1844 of our military dead.19. St. Mihiel , France . A total of 4153 of our military dead.20. Suresnes , France . A total of 1541 of our military dead.20. Suresnes , France . A total of 1541 of our military dead."

So, this week-end, remember (or learn) the meaning of Memorial Day and consider finding an expression other than "Have a wonderful week-end."

Is the US Flag at half-staff?

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About Me

In 1996 I moved to Woodstock, Illinois, after having lived all over the U.S. It didn't take long to get involved in my lifelong traffic crusade, because I noticed that many drivers, including too many police officers, routinely ignored traffic laws. My traffic crusade led to an appearance on ABC's The View, and two invitations to appear on Court TV followed.
I started my first blog on April 15, 2007, to address perceived problems with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department and some local police departments. I have also advocated strongly for disabled students in Woodstock District 200 Special Education.
As a practicing hypnotherapist, I have a unique practice in this area, providing sessions to clients in the comfort of their own homes, rather than in a sterile office setting. I studied and worked with a retired D.O. who had begun using hypnotherapy in her California medical practice in 1950. Often, clients experience past-life events and relate them to current-life situations.
I ran for McHenry County (Ill.) Sheriff in the November 2010 General Election and came in Third with 5% of the vote. That’s the one and only time I’ve ever run for public office.